


All For One

by rex_who



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Backstory, Bullying, Comfort, I swear it's not all bad, Lucius is a bully, Marauders, Nicknames, Nightmares, Slytherin, Sorting Ceremony, Wizards vs Muggles, first year, gryffindor superiority complex, more backstory than Dr Doofenschmirtz, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 17:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3818281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rex_who/pseuds/rex_who
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus isn't what most people would describe as popular at school. He had a couple of friends, of course, but he prefers to spend his time in the library.<br/>One day, he finds himself in a somewhat compromising situation, and it's the people he would least expect that come and help him out. All of a sudden, Remus finds himself very out of depth in a world he doesn't really understand.<br/>While it's a world away from the library, Remus decides he rather likes his new position in social heirarchy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> The story of how Remus John Lupin met and befriended the other Marauders.  
> I decided to try a prompt! Let me know what you think!  
> This is my first work for the Potter fandom, so be kind... please? :)

Remus looked up in wonder at the grand scarlet engine preparing to depart. His father nudged him forwards, having just run through the barrier. “Come on, Remus. It’s getting ready to depart.” Remus turned round to look at his father and saw that there were tears hinting at the edge of his eyes. He threw his arms around him, and whispered in his ear. “Love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, son.” He pulled away. “Now, be off with you, else you’ll miss the train.” Remus picked up his trunk and with one last lingering look over his shoulder, made his way down the busy platform. He bumped into a gaunt looking boy. “S-sorry,” he stuttered. The boy said nothing, but the girl next to him. “Don’t worry about it! Severus is just a little nervous, that’s all.” She extended her hand, and Remus almost dropped his heavy trunk as he shifted it to the other hand to shake it. “I’m Lily,” she said. “Remus. Shouldn’t we be getting on the train?” Lily smiled. “Come on, Severus, let’s go and find a compartment.” She grabbed the gaunt boy’s hand, and pulled him onto the train. Remus followed them, and hovered in the doorway of the compartment they’d chosen. Lily patted the seat beside her as the boy sat down opposite, and Remus ran in gratefully.

The train lurched, and they pulled away from the station. Lily pulled down the window and stuck her head out. “Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad! Bye Tunia!” she waved frantically and Remus peeked through the glass to see his dad one last time before they left, but he couldn’t see him on the platform. Remus couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed as he settled back in his seat. He knew it wasn’t a great time for his dad, and he was avoiding crowded spaces as much as possible, but it would have been nice to see him one last time.

That’s when he noticed that the boy hadn’t moved at all. Lily was sitting herself down, and Remus tried to discretely examine the boy. “You want to know why I didn’t get up,” he stated. Remus blushed. “Well, I would, but if you don’t want to say…”

“Its fine,” said the boy quickly. “I came by myself. My father, he’s not… affectionate. He doesn’t do weepy goodbyes and hugs.” Remus nodded. His own father wasn’t keen, but at least he’d come today. Remus loved his dad, but he couldn’t help but feel a sort of distance, especially at this point of the cycle…

“Remus wasn’t it?” asked Lily, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yeah, that’s right. Remus Lupin.”

“I’m Lily, Lily Evans. And that’s Severus Snape.” Remus thought quietly. “That’s a different name,” he said. Severus shrugged. “I think it’s a family thing.”

They stared out of the window, watching the scenery fly by. After a while, Lily spoke again. “Are you two both wizard born?” she asked. The two boys nodded. “Are you a muggle born?” asked Remus. Lily nodded. “That’s so cool! I bet your parents were thrilled to find out you were a witch.”

“My parents were, but my sister? Not so much. She called me a freak, and refused to talk to me for two weeks after I got my Hogwarts letter. Although, we knew before that that I was a witch. My sister and I were playing in a field near our house, and I made a daisy grow in my hand. That’s where I met Severus.” Severus smiled at the memory. “I told you she was just jealous, and you told me that was mean.”

“Then a couple of weeks later, I got my Hogwarts letter, along with the shopping list, and my parents and I went to Diagon Alley. It was incredible! Well, probably not for you two,” she admitted sheepishly. “But my parents and I had never seen anything like it! Honestly, who knew that brooms could fly?” They laughed.

The rest of the journey passed smoothly, and sooner than Remus thought was possible, a prefect came knocking on their compartment door. “I suggest you change into your robes,” he said. “We’ll be arriving in half an hour or so.”

They changed quickly, not wanting to be half dressed as they pulled into the station. They got off the train, in the dark by this point. A giant man stood before them, shouting for all the first years to gather round him. “First years, gather round! Any first years, come here!” the trio made their way towards the mountain of a man. “Wow,” breathed Remus once they were up close. “He must be a giant!”

“Half, actually,” said the man, glancing down at them. “Are you first years?” they nodded, and a small crowd gathered round them. The platform gradually emptied, and the man led them towards a lake, where a small fleet of boats awaited them. “Three to four in a boat,” he instructed. Remus was almost pushed into the water by a black haired boy pushing for the first boat. “Come on, Pete! Hurry up!” he whined, not taking any notice of Remus, who was just regaining his balance. Lily took Remus’ hand and led him to a boat. “There wasn’t any malice behind that,” she reassured him. “It’s just excitement.” Remus wasn’t so sure.

The boats rowed across the lake, powered by magic. Remus gasped as he caught his first glimpse of the castle, a sound replicated by nearly every first year. He’d seen pictures of the school, but no artist could really capture the magnificent splendour of the castle before them, perched on top of a hill.

They were met inside the castle by a brown haired lady in a pointy hat and emerald green robes. “Thank you, Hagrid,” she said, in a thick Scottish accent. Remus wondered if all the professors would be Scottish, as they were technically in Scotland.

The woman introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and after that, Remus kind of drifted off. He already knew a lot about Hogwarts, as he’d read a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ he’d found on the bookshelf. He took in his surroundings, watching the moving paintings point at the group of nervous first years, and saw a suit of armour move out of the corner of his eye. “PEEVES! WE HAVE BEEN BACK FOR TEN MINUTES AND YOU ARE ALREADY MAKING A NUISANCE OF YOURSELF!” shouted McGonagall, startling several of the first years who hadn’t noticed the moving armour.

A pearly white spectre appeared from within the armour, sighing dramatically. “Some of us stuck around _all_ summer,” he said. McGonagall dismissed him with a wave, and he floated down through the stone floor. “And now, students, we go through to the Great Hall.”

The wooden doors swung open with dramatic flair, and row upon row of older students stared at the group of fidgety first years. McGonagall set off at a brisk pace down the walkway in the middle of the four tables, and the first years ran to follow her, some pointing up at the ceiling, which Remus knew to be enchanted to mimic the sky.

McGonagall stopped, and the group spread out in front of the steps approaching the professors table. An old man sat in a golden chair in the centre, and Remus recognised him as Albus Dumbledore. He’d met him once before, but that had been a few years ago, and he doubted the old headmaster would remember.

McGonagall lifted up an old hat from a stool, and started calling out names. Each student would shakily approach the stool, and McGonagall would smile encouragingly as she placed the hat on their head, and after a moment of consideration, the sorting hat would call out one of the houses, and the student would run off in the direction of the table full of cheering students.

Lily’s name was called, and Remus held his breath for her. “GRYFFINDOR!” called out the hat, and Lily grinned as she ran to take her place next to the last girl who had been placed in Gryffindor, shaking hands with a few of the other students on the table.

Finally, Remus’ name was called, and he took a deep breath as he walked up to the stool. He already knew what house he would be placed in. He’d read all about the way the houses worked in various books, and had decided he belonged in Ravenclaw. He could see their table now, rows of black robes with a blue and bronze logo on them. “Hmm,” said the sorting hat. “You think you belong in Ravenclaw, and I can see why. There’s no denying your intelligence, boy, but I don’t think you’d fit in there. You’d do much better in… GRYFFINDOR!”

Remus blinked as McGonagall lifted the hat from his head. He saw Lily beckoning him over and realised he was still stood like an idiot in front of everyone, and ran to sit down opposite his friend.

“Well done!” said Lily, grinning. “Now we just need Severus and we’ll all be together.”

“Severus?” asked the black haired boy that had pushed Remus. “That weevil? I doubt he’ll be sorted into Gryffindor. He’s not that kind of person, really.” Lily’s cheeks flushed as she got angry. “Oh yeah? Who died and made you chief judge of character?”

“No one,” shrugged the boy. “I just know his family quite well.”

Severus’ name was called, and the hat placed him in Slytherin without missing a beat. The boy smirked at Lily, and Lily put her nose in the air, turning away from him. “If you think being put in Slytherin is a symbol of poor character, you need to take a good look at yourself.” The boy smirked more, and his friend high fived him. Remus decided he didn’t particularly like those two, and they’d be ones to steer clear of, if possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus starts settling into Hogwarts, and gets to know the librarian.

Remus settled in well at Hogwarts. He and Lily excelled together in lessons, especially in potions. Lily had a natural gift, and Professor Slughorn fawned over her. “Well done, Lily!” he’d cry every time she answered a question. “Ten points to Gryffindor!” Of course, this earned her merciless teasing from the marauders.

The marauders were the bane of Remus’ existence. They didn’t outright bully him, but snide comment could be heard between Sirius (the boy who’d almost pushed Remus into the lake) and James, who’d high fived him at the dinner table. Their friend Peter was in Slytherin, and only in some of their lessons, but he was no problem. Anyone could tell he was trailing after Sirius and James because he was afraid to make any other friends, and he usually just giggled at whatever the other two boys said instead instigating anything.

Severus, who Lily and Remus still saw at break, had ended up sitting next to him in several lessons. “He’s a total moron,” he’d said. “All he does is talk about how he knows the Black family, and how wonderful it is he’s in Slytherin, and what a shame it was that Sirius can’t be too.” Lily giggled. “Don’t be nasty, Severus. I’m sure he’s just nervous about making new friends. Be kind to him, and maybe he’ll open up.”

“Ah, but us Slytherins, we’re _nasty_ ,” said Severus. “We’re all _evil_!” Lily hit him, and the conversation moved onto things.

Remus saw the three marauders approaching them. _Oh no…_

“Hey, Evans, surely someone as smart as you knows not to stand that close to Snivellus?” called James. Lily’s cheeks flushed like they always did when she was angry. “For God’s sakes, James. Why can’t you leave him alone? What’s he done to you?”

“He’s a Slytherin,” leered James, standing a little too close to Lily, making her tilt her chin upwards to look him in the face rather than his chest. “And? You would have liked him if he were in Gryffindor? You’re just pathetic.”

“Oh yeah, Evans? Tell me again, how many times did you have to ask that broom to ‘up’?” Peter giggled behind James and Sirius, but promptly stopped when Sirius glared at him. “You’re always so nasty to people, even those who you say are your friends. Poor Peter’s too afraid to look either of you in the eye!” claimed Lily.

“Peter!” barked Sirius sharply. Peter jumped out of his skin, and stared at his feet before looking Sirius in the eye. “Yes?”

Sirius turned to Lily with a triumphant look on his face. “Yeah, but could you not see how uncomfortable he looked?”

“Lily,” muttered Remus. “Come on, Lily. You’re not going to win this one; let it go.” Sirius stuck his tongue out. “I like you, kid. What was your name again?”

“Remus,” muttered Remus. “Well, Lily, I think you should listen to Remus. We’ll be the responsible adults and walk away. Good talk.” Sirius patted her on the shoulder, before turning away with James, Peter traipsing after them.

Lily was furious. “Remus, what were you thinking? It’ll only get worse if you don’t stand up to them.”

“Lily, just leave it; please,” Severus begged. “It’s fine, honestly; it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“It’s nothing you _should have to_ handle,” corrected Lily, but she let it drop.

That night, Remus was studying alone in the library. He’d gotten to know the librarian quite well, and it was worth it. She really was an interesting person to talk to, and she knew every single book in the library by title and author. Just the other day, Remus had casually brought up a particular spell he’d learnt in transfiguration, and had pondered as to its uses. The next day, the librarian had presented him with an enormous pile of books related to that particular spell.

However, this evening, he had a particular subject in mind. He searched out all the books he could find about werewolves, and sat down in his usual secluded corner of the library, and buried his head inside the books.

All too soon, a gentle cough interrupted him. “Remus? Time for bed.” Remus sighed. “Could you help me put these books back? They’re kind of heavy.” The librarian looked confused. “You know, this is a library. You can borrow the books and take them away to your dormitory.”

Remus hesitated. He didn’t want to leave his books in the dormitory that he shared with James and Sirius, because that would lead to all sorts of questioning. But then again, he really didn’t want to stop reading…

“Okay. I’ll check them out, and have them back by tomorrow.” The librarian laughed. “You’ve got two weeks to give them back. You really don’t need to rush reading them.”

Remus thanked her and walked back to the Gryffindor common room. He skirted round the edge of the busy common room, preferring to have some peace and quiet while he read. He took the books up to the dormitory, and changed into his pyjamas and crawled under the covers before picking the first book back up again.

He knew that it ought to be his dad teaching him about all this werewolf stuff, but his dad was often away, and when he wasn’t away, he was holed up in the cellar of their country house. It was a lot of space for Remus to fill all by himself, and as a child he’d had a lot of imaginary friends.

Remus adored his dad, and wanted to be like him in as many ways as possible, but not in the werewolf respect. His mother hadn’t been a werewolf, so there was still a small chance for him. He missed his mother often, but there was nothing he could do about it. Dead was dead, and no amount of magic could bring her back.

Remus felt his head nodding, and with a flick of his wand, he blew out the lights, and sank into oblivion.

 

_He was in a forest, on a family picnic. His father hadn’t wanted to come here; said it reminded him of bad times, but his mother had insisted. They were laid across the picnic mat now, sleeping as the sun set behind them. He played in the long grass, proud that he’d stayed awake longer than mummy and daddy. He wondered off into the forest, following a trail of particularly interesting leaves. The trees grew taller, and the forest got darker, but he didn’t notice until he glanced up at the moon. He smiled at it, big and round in the sky. A full circle today._

_A scream came from the direction he came from, and he ran towards it. It must have been mummy, waking up and seeing he wasn’t there. He had to get back so she knew he was okay._

_He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, his sense of direction unfaltering. He approached the clearing where mummy and daddy were, but he couldn’t see them._

_What he saw was a big dog type thing. It was skinny, and all its ribs were showing. He would have felt almost sorry for it if it wasn’t advancing on his mummy. He knew he had to stop it, but he didn’t know how…_

_He picked up a stick and ran a little way into the forest before snapping it, hoping the creature would leave mummy alone. He ran as quietly as he could away from the broken stick, and looped round in a big circle back to mummy and daddy._

_He ran over to the picnic mat where mummy was lying, sleeping again. There was blood pouring from different wounds on her body. “Mummy?”_

_“Mummy? Are you sleeping? The creature’s gone, mummy.”_

_“I’ll sleep too, mummy. Then we can wake up and play some more, when daddy comes back.”_

_He curled up next to her, and tried to sleep._

_When he woke up, he was in the Gryffindor common room. He saw Lily, perched on an armchair near the fire. “Oh, Lily,” he breathed. “It’s just you.” Lily turned around, smiling. “Severus is here too,” she said._

_“Of course he is, he’s in Gryffindor like us.” Severus smiled at him from his place on the sofa. “Wow,” said Lily, scrambling out of her seat. “Look at that moon!” he looked over at it. A full moon._

_He felt himself changing, and he looked down at his hands. They weren’t hands anymore…_

_He tilted his head back and howled. Lily back away from him. “Are you okay? Remus?”_

_He panted, and stared at her. Hungry. He was so hungry… one bite wouldn’t hurt… he advanced towards her, trapping her in a corner of the room._

_He bared his fangs, and tore into her, ignoring her screams, ignoring Severus’ pleas for mercy. He kept tearing and ripping, and he was covered in blood, and…_

He jolted awake, sitting bolt upright. His breathing was heavy, and sweat poured down his face. He got out of bed, stumbling across the room on shaky legs, unaware that one of his roommates wasn’t asleep, but rather, watching him intently.

Remus sank down on the window sill, and stared out into the night. The moon shone bright, soaking the castle ground in an eerie light. He glanced up at the moon, and saw that it was full, just like in his dreams. _Oh no…_

He shook his head violently, trying to snap himself out of it. _This isn’t you,_ he told himself. _You’re not a werewolf… yet,_ added a small voice in the back of his sub conscious. He fought back the tears as the pricked at his eyes, burying his head in his pyjama sleeve.

“Hey,” came a smooth voice next to him. Remus didn’t look up. “I know you’re not homesick, so what are the tears for, buddy?”

“Go away, Sirius,” said Remus thickly. “Please, leave the teasing until morning. I can’t handle it right now.”

Sirius made no effort to move. “You’re a werewolf,” he said quietly. Remus looked up, furious. “How dare you-”

“Hey! Don’t get upset, it won’t help you at all, especially at this particular time of month,” said Sirius, holding his hands up. He ought to have known better, really, than provoking an upset werewolf, but he honestly wanted to help.

He went back to his trunk and went fishing for something in particular. He handed over a large rectangle over to Remus. “Here,” he said. “Eat this. It’ll help.”

“Cadbury’s Dairy Milk,” read Remus. “It’s muggle chocolate. I bought it especially, because we’re not allowed into Hogsmeade until third year, and I am not going that long without chocolate.” Remus smiled weakly. “Thanks,” he said, pulling at the wrapper.

The two boys sat in the window munching on their chocolate in peaceful silence. “Why are you helping me?” asked Remus. “I mean, we’re not friends, and then you actively pick on Severus…”

“I hate him. I hate him, and his family. They’re just like my family. I hate them too,” said Sirius. Even through the forced quietness of his voice, Remus could distinguish the venom. “How bad can they be? I mean, they’re your family; they just want what’s best for you.” Sirius laughed softly. “Nope. They want what’s best for wizard kind, which, in their book, means the eradication of anyone that isn’t ‘pure blood’. God, I hate that term. It’s stupid, distinguishing wizards from each other just because of their blood line. If things were the way they wanted them to be, wizards would die out. If they truly wanted what was best for wizard kind, they’d know they were being total assholes!”

Remus shushed him cautiously as James turned over in his sleep, moaning. Sirius rested his head on the window. “Sorry. It’s just I hate being linked with those prejudiced morons, anyone with a brain would. But Severus isn’t. He’s been brainwashed to think like they do, act like they do, speak like they do. I just want him to stop it. To go back to when we were kids, you know? Back before the world was dark and scary, and back when magic was just something that could conjure rabbits out of hats, or do your chores for you, and mothers cared about you because you were their baby, not because you were a continuation of the great Black family.”

Remus sniffed. “The world never existed, and it never will.” Sirius looked at him. “Why would you say that? Did your parents not love you?”

“Of course they did! I mean, they still do! Well, my dad still does. My mum doesn’t love anyone anymore.”

“Mine neither.” Remus sighed. “I don’t think you understand. My mother’s dead. She was killed when I was very young in a horrible accident.”

Remus would normally stop there, but something about talking to Sirius, just the two of them alone, made him want to open up. After all, he’d shared his chocolate, and told him about his family.

“We were on a family picnic. I wandered off while my parents were sleeping, and it got dark. I didn’t know back then that my dad was anything other than my dad. Anyway, I hear a scream and thought that my mum had just woken up to find I wasn’t there. I was so little, who knows what trouble I could have been in?

“Anyway, I came running back to the clearing and saw her being attacked by a creature I later learned was a werewolf. I broke a twig in the distance, and ran until I thought it would be safe to go back to her. I laid down by her side, convinced that she would wake up again. I kept stroking her hair, and telling her to wake up. My dad didn’t come back until morning. He broke down and cried when he saw us lying there. He thought I was dead too, but even when I woke up, he didn’t stop crying. He cast a spell to repel all muggles, and drove me to an aunt’s house. He went back for her, and I never saw her again.”

Remus wiped his eyes on his pyjama sleeve. “It wasn’t until later, in an argument with my dad that I found out that he was the one who’d killed her.” Sirius gasped. “That’s awful!” Remus shook his head. “It wasn’t his fault. A wolf and a human are not the same character. The wolf just killed whatever it found first, which happened to be my mother. He said he was so heartbroken when he thought he’d killed both of us, and was about to use his wand to perform the killing curse on himself when I woke up.”

Sirius was almost crying himself as Remus told his story. “Look at us,” he said, choked up. “Two o clock in the morning and we’ve got nothing better to do than eat chocolate and cry like a couple of girls.” Remus giggled slightly. “Two o clock in the morning? I’m going to be a mess tomorrow. I’m going to salvage what I can of my sleep.” He turned to his bed. “Oh, Sirius?”

“Mhmm?”

“Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to be known as the kid who’s actually a werewolf, or the kid with a father who killed his mother.” Sirius nodded. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone.” Remus smiled in thanks and climbed back into bed, sleep finding him easily, but leaving the nightmares behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I'm a sucker for a tragic backstory... Poor Remus, I wonder how he's going to sort out his problems?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus writes home.

Remus wrote to his dad the next day.

_Dear Dad,_

_Sorry for not writing sooner, but I really have been busy. The lessons here are just hard enough so that I have to work, but not too difficult that they’re causing problems, although they do set a lot of homework. My friend Lily is really smart, and it only takes her about half the time it takes everyone else to do her mountain of homework. Some people say nasty things to her because she’s got muggle parents, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing… is it?_

_Lily and I were sorted into Gryffindor, and our other friend, Severus, is in Slytherin. A lot of people say we shouldn’t be friends any more, but that’s rubbish. Severus is a bit weird, granted, but just because he wears a green tie instead of a red tie doesn’t mean he should be avoided. There’s a group of boys in my house that pick on him, but Lily always puts them in their place. She says that if we just stand up to them they’ll stop it, but I don’t really think I’m brave enough. I should have been put into Ravenclaw. The sorting hat really did consider it, but in the end it thought I’d be happy in Gryffindor. I am, really happy. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m surprised at how little I miss home. Hogwarts has become my second home, and even though you’re not here, I still feel like I’m surrounded by family._

_Anyway, the real reason I wrote to you was because I wanted to talk to you about werewolves. I’m eleven years old, twelve next month, and I think I’m starting to be like you (in the best possible way). I read up on werewolves in the library, and I think I can cope just fine, but I thought that you might like to know that the ‘symptoms’ have started._

_Also, can I still eat chocolate, or is it dangerous because of the wolf? I never see you eating any, but I always just presumed you didn’t like it._

_Lots of love,_

Remus sealed the envelope and sent it off with the tawny owl his dad had sent him with. “There you go, Castiel. Take this to dad, please.” He watched as the owl flapped off into the distance, regretting for the hundredth time letting his dad name it. Why he couldn’t name it something normal like Sam was beyond him.

He carried on with classes like normal, except he made a conscious effort to avoid Sirius, and by extension, James. Unfortunately, they still sought out Severus, making this task somewhat difficult.

It wasn’t that he thought Sirius was going to bully him because of what he’d told him that night in the dormitory, he just wasn’t good at… feelings. At how to cope with seeing people after he’d told them something quite important to him.

He was eating breakfast in the great hall when Castiel found him with his dad’s reply. He opened it up carefully, checking no one was reading over his shoulder. Lily was deep in conversation with the girl on her left about centaurs or something, and everyone around him was either to bleary or too excited for the quidditch match to care what he was doing.

_Remus,_

_I’m so glad that you wrote, even though it doesn’t sound like you anymore. You sound as if you’ve aged thirty years over a few days! I suppose that’s what having responsibilities does to you._

_I’m glad you’re keeping up with your school work, and yes, you are right to stand by Lily. Don’t listen to what anyone says about ‘pure bloods are better’. It’s complete rubbish, and it sounds as if Lily’s proving them all wrong. You’re also right to remain friends with Severus, even though he’s in a different house. Some people take house pride a little too seriously, and just because you’re in one house doesn’t mean that you have those exact characteristics- the sorting hat has admitted to being wrong on several occasions._

_If those boys are giving you trouble, then I suggest doing as Lily says and standing up to them. Bullies prey on anyone weaker than themselves, but if they catch you at the wrong time they will have all hell to pay._

_This leads me on to my next point. Remus, I knew that you would begin transition soon, so I wrote ahead to Professor Dumbledore, who has told me that his door will always be open for you. The password for his office is usually some form of sweets, and you can ask Professor McGonagall for it._

_All the same, I feel like I should be with you. Transition is a difficult phase, and I feel like an awful father, leaving you to read about yourself in the library rather than hold your hand like I should. Do you want me to come up there, or would you like to come home for a few weeks? I understand that you might not want to leave Hogwarts, but you know better than anyone the consequences if something was to go wrong._

_Write to me as soon as you make your decision._

_Love you._

_P.S. You can eat chocolate. It won’t make you sick unless you eat too much of it, and it doesn’t harm the wolf. I honestly just don’t like it._

Remus stared at the letter. His dad wanted him to come home, but he didn’t want to leave Hogwarts. He would honestly rather just be left to it, but he didn’t think his dad would like that option. After all, he’d been through it all before, he knew what was best, but still…

He decided to seek out Professor Dumbledore’s advice. If Dumbledore already knew, then there was nothing to lose by talking to him about the problem, even if he was rather imposing, and frightening…

_For God’s sakes, you’ve met the man before, dummy._ He shook some sense into himself, and glanced up at the professor’s table. Neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall was there, but in a small way he was glad. He didn’t want this to be a public conversation.

He decided to seek out McGonagall first, to find out the password to Dumbledore’s office, and how to get to Dumbledore’s office.

He found McGonagall in her classroom, marking work. He knocked timidly on the door, and let himself in, standing quietly in the corner of the room while she finished what she was doing.

Eventually, she glanced up at him. “Sit.” She motioned at the chair in front of her desk, and Remus slid into it. “How can I help you, Mr Lupin?”

“Well, I was wondering if you could possibly show me where Dumbledore’s office is, and the password to get in.” McGonagall stared at him from over the top of her glasses. “And why is it that you want to speak to Professor Dumbledore?” Remus shifted uncomfortably in his chair, blushing a little. “Well, I wanted to talk to him about a little problem I’m having, and that I’ll have over the next few months.”

McGonagall searched her brain for anything that could possibly be wrong with this child that the headmaster should know about. Remus Lupin… Lupin… why did that sound familiar…

Of course. She remembered why that sounded familiar. Dumbledore had told her about his father’s letter, and the accident with his mother, and the boy was turning twelve tomorrow, so it was about the right time…

“Come with me,” she said, standing swiftly. Remus jogged after her as she speed walked down corridor after corridor, and he noted every turn so that he could come here again without McGonagall’s assistance.

They arrived at a golden statue. “Chocolate éclair,” said McGonagall, and the statue turned to reveal a revolving staircase. She motioned for Remus to get on it, and after watching that he was safely up, turned back to her classroom.

Remus arrived in Dumbledore’s office, and took in his surroundings. The walls were lined with books, magical and non-magical alike, and there was a magnificent phoenix in a cage. Remus smiled at it, remembering that phoenixes were special, and they could remember if a person had been good to them. He was about to put his fingers through the cage when a discreet cough stopped him. He hadn’t noticed Dumbledore sat in his chair, staring down at him.

“Welcome,” he said warmly. “You’re Remus Lupin, correct?” Remus nodded. “I remember meeting you, back when you were tiny. Your mother had just died, and you refused to say a word to anyone that wasn’t your father.” Dumbledore smiled, and Remus found himself smiling too. “So, son, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, you see, I was wondering if you could help me with a problem…”

Remus explained all about his dream, and his correspondence with his dad. “So, Professor, what should I do?”

“What is it you wish to do?”

“Well, I’d rather stay here, and he doesn’t need to come. It’s not that I don’t want him, I just don’t really think that it’s necessary…” Dumbledore cut him off. “I understand. Tell me; do any of your fellow students know about this?”

“Sirius Black knows that I’m a werewolf. He was with me when I woke up the night I had the first dream.” Dumbledore nodded. “Keep him as your friend, Remus. If information like this were to fall into the hands of your enemies, thy could ruin you. Of course, you could equally ruin them, but I think that’s a little too much ruin for a first year at Hogwarts.” Remus nodded.

Dumbledore let him go after a while, after promising to write to his dad regarding whether Remus needed to leave Hogwarts (or not, as the preferable case would be). He was late to the quidditch match, but he didn’t really care. Quidditch was never really his thing. he wasn’t coordinated enough to stay on a broom, and he only ever really found sports interesting if he was playing them.

He was walking down the corridor, considering skipping the match completely when he chanced upon Lucius Malfoy.

Arthur Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect and head boy had warned them against Lucius Malfoy. “It’s the only bit of inter-house hatred I will spread,” he’d said once they were all gathered in the common room. Stay away from Lucius Malfoy. He is a nasty piece of work, and if it weren’t for the fact his father’s on the board of governors, he’d have been kicked out long before now. Just stay well away, kids.”

Even Arthur’s girlfriend, Molly, only had nasty things to say about him, and she saw the good in everyone.

As Remus rounded the corner, he tried to duck out of view, but he was caught. “What was that?” asked one of Lucius’ friends. “Go check it out,” hissed Lucius. A hand grabbed Remus by the scruff of his robes, and he was literally thrown across the floor.

“Well, well, well. What have we here? A spy?” crooned Lucius. “Leave me alone, Lucius. I just want to get to the library.”

“Not a quidditch fan?” leered the older boy. His close cropped white blonde hair just made his eyes seem ever blacker, and more frightening. Remus tried not to show his fear. “No, I’m not. It’s a pointless sport for morons- right up your alley.” Lucius gasped. “How dare you, you insolent little… don’t think I don’t know who you are. You’re Remus Lupin, the son of the man that killed his own wife. The son of the werewolf.” Remus shook his head. “It’s not true. My mother was victim of a random vicious attack. It happens, and people move on.” Lucius laughed. “Oh, isn’t this just precious? He doesn’t know! He honestly believes what his dog of a father told him about a random attack!” Lucius approached Remus until Remus could feel his breath on his face. “Your father’s a monster. He’s a freak, and a criminal. He deserves to be locked up for killing your mother. You know, my father said she was really a beautiful witch. He said he was going to marry her himself when your _bitch_ father stole her away. But then again, he’s not totally to blame for her death. You didn’t do anything, did you? I bet you just watched as he tore into her, again and again, listening as she screamed…”

“LUCIUS!” there was a shout from the end of the corridor. James, Sirius, and Peter stood, and James looked angry, but Sirius was very nearly purple with rage. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

“Ah, Sirius, the traitor. How are you doing? I hear your mother was beside herself when she got the news you had been placed in Gryffindor, ruining a long line of Black family tradition…” purred Lucius.

“Go fuck yourself with a cactus, you asshole, and leave my friend alone.” Lucius smirked. “Oh, what a disappointment you are to your family, Sirius. How can you live with yourself?” Sirius growled. “I can say with confidence it’s not what keeps me up at night. Now piss off.”

Lucius slunk off, flanked by his cronies, and Sirius and James came running over to Remus, followed, as always, by Peter. “You alright, buddy?” Sirius checked Remus up and down for injuries, and Remus noticed James was in his quidditch kit. “James, what about quidditch? You can’t just leave the field!” James laughed. “You can when you’ve caught the snitch and won the match.” Sirius elbowed him in the ribs. “Not the time to be cocky, James.”

“No, I’m glad you won the match! Honestly,” said Remus. He dusted himself off. “Anyway, thanks for the help, but I’m off to the library.”

“You’re sure you wouldn’t rather come celebrate? Everyone will be in the common room, and we’re having cake!” said James excitedly.

“Well…” considered Remus. “I’ve never said no to cake yet!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bullies are nasty pieces of work, and even though physical injuries hurt, nothing gets to me personally more than psycological bullying... it's not nice, and if you do it, then you need to sort your life out.  
> If you're having it done to you, tell someone. Tell your own James and Sirius, or tell your own McGonagall or even just anyone that'll listen, because I promise, once you tell someone, it gets a whole lot better.


	4. Chapter 4

Remus properly socialised for the first time that school year. He would have preferred to stick with Lily, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. He presumed she’d gone up to her dormitory for a little piece and quiet, and carried on socialising. By the end of the day, he was so full of cake (it just kept appearing!) and had met so many new people he just wanted to run up to the dormitory and read. The introvert in him had had enough. However, that wasn’t to be. James and Sirius wanted him to come with them for a walk down to the lake, and he went, despite his books calling him. They wandered down to the lakeshore, and were just talking casually when James caught sight of Lily and Severus down by the water. “Come on,” he muttered. He started jogging, and Sirius followed, keeping pace. Remus walked behind, not really being bothered to run. James and Sirius jogged past Severus, upsetting his books on their way past. As usual Lily kicked off, but James and Sirius ignored her. Remus approached the scene slowly, helping pick up the books. Lily crouched down too, and she picked up a piece of scroll. She unfurled it, and started reading. “Severus, what is this?” she asked, face paling. He reached to snatch it out of her hands, but she pulled it back. “That’s not for you to read,” he hissed. Lily read on anyway. “How would father feel, all these feelings for a common little mudblood? I doubt she’d do anything anyway, I guess that her muggle parents told her not to date any of the creepy magic boys. I hate muggles, and muggle-borns.”

Lily stopped reading, face pale. Remus felt a little sick, and even James and Sirius had stopped messing about. “Severus…” said Lily. He snatched the parchment out of her hands, and this time she didn’t stop him. “That’s what you think of me and my parents? That we’re some sort of inferior species?” Remus could see the tears threatening at her eyelashes. “I thought you were my friend, Severus, but obviously you care more about impressing your father than you do about me! I thought that you were going to change the way people like your family think.” She wiped her tears away on the back of her hand. “But now I see you’re just like them. You’re just like every other Slytherin boy that shouts things at me as I walk past them.”

Severus opened his mouth to try and explain, but Lily stopped him. “Don’t bother, Severus. You’ve done enough. Please; just go.” Lily sank onto the grass, and Remus sat down beside her, offering a comforting hug. James and Sirius stared at Severus until he ran off, ashamed of what he’d done. Sirius was the first to comfort Lily. “Don’t worry, Evans, there’s nothing you could have done. He’s been like that since we were kids.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about old Snivellus,” chimed James. “Don’t call him that,” said Lily, but there was no anger behind it. “Tell you what- we’ll make you an honorary marauder. Remus is already a marauder.” Lily looked up. “You are?”

“I am?” asked Remus, equally confused. “Of course! We saved your ass from Malfoy, didn’t we?” They carried on talking until the sun began to set, when Sirius noticed Remus getting a little jumpy. “Why don’t we go inside? It’s getting really cold out, and I don’t fancy being locked out here for the night. God knows what’s out here!”

It was in that moment that Remus knew he belonged in this group, and for the first time since he’d gotten to Hogwarts, he was well and truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've finished my little prompt challenge! I actually quite enjoyed doing it,and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated :)  
> Love you all!


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